buhay MO III

the last ten days were one of the memorable experiences i had as a general practitioner. on most days, our emergency room were swarmed by patients from all over the island. on a non- duty day, i usually go home at 5pm but there were times you just have to stick around the hospital and help. ours is not the only hospital in the island. but people from even the farthest local which is a six hours drive away opt to be transferred to our care. they say, we have the most competent doctors. i cannot take the credit because i am only new there. that goes to all the doctors before me and those who have stayed there for years who have dedicated their time and expertise and me, being one of the newest addition to the group, have to uphold to the people's expectation. giving the optimum care is really a challenge when resources are limited to work up our patients(paging local government officials!!!).

i don't know if it was in the news about a child who picked up a grenade and brought it to his playmates. the grenade exploded and killed two children in an instant. five children were seriously injured. the parents decided to transfer them in our hospital even if it's six hours away because they believed that we can save their lives. and that, no matter how difficult, we cannot run from them or tell them we can only do so little. two of them died while they were admitted. one of them, i have attended myself when she went to cardio-respiratory arrest. i did the CPR but i wasn't not able to save her. the extent of her injury was just too much for her frail body. the explosion perforated a lot of her bowels. she went to arrest after her operation. the kid is just 11 years old. the third child her parents have lost because of the devastating incident. when i went out of the room, i didn't have the guts to tell her mother about the news. i looked into her eyes and then she knew. no words... at that point, it's like everything went to slow-mo and then time stopped. i saw her world fell apart.

the day after, someone woke me up at 3am to assist in an emergency operation. the next thing i knew, i was holding bowels in my hands. the guy we are operating on achieved multiple gunshot wounds in the abdomen. how and why it happened was a puzzle coz we are currently under a gun ban because of the forthcoming elections. he did survive.

the last was the patient i transferred to luzon island via the RO-RO ship. he was commatosed, intubated, with no one but me. the three hours of travel we endured were the longest hours of my life. his relatives who were with us prayed that he'll make it. i prayed harder. i tell the patient from time to time to hold on. the feel of his pulse is the only thing that gave me peace in that entire trip. went home at 2am so tired but happy and relieved that i went home alone. coz if my patient died on the trip, he's gonna go home with me and that didn't happen. God is so good.

losing a patient is something a doctor cannot escape from. we may be the best, we can exhaust all the resources available, but sometimes losing a life is inevitable. losing a patient is that constant reminder to us that we, healers, are not gods. life is a grace that we must be thankful for everyday. trying to save someone is like buying time. a lot of times its begging, bargaining for another moment to live... on the opposite end, saving someone's life gives the best feeling in the world.




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you're everything

from duty today. currently doing paper works in our quarters when i realized its too quiet in here coz no one is around except me. decided to play some music. happy to come across this. i truly love buble.





my duty yesterday was really toxic. i wonder how much more toxic life as a resident is. just glad yesterday's over. ang sarap maging from duty. para kang nabigyan ng medal.



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yes, he was definitely hot

he was tall, makinis ang kutis, and handsome. but definitely not bading (this is confeermed by the gaydar meter of my red cross team. read: very accurate!). i saw him and my eyes were glued. gosh. antagal ko na hindi nagka- crush ah. ngayon lang ulit...

we were together in one tent for a day. he did cars while i do my check ups. he's superbly cute.


sorry for the picture. its the best one i got.




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oh i forgot

my friend, jonathan, went home last week to attend the 60th birthday party of his dad. his coming home is actually his gift. everybody was surprised to see him. well, except us because we knew his little secret.

HP: totoo ba ang chismis that soon, you will be staying here for good?
jonas: oo. pero pupunta muna ako ng rome bago ako umuwi.

susyal.



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busy holy week

this holy week is the busiest.

holy thursday, i was with these people


for this


our station was located right beside this


and since we were in pampanga, we get to see this from time to time


i left at 6pm to go to pangasinan with my bro and co. to attend the wake of his gf's lola. we left there almost midnight and received a shocking news. my nephew died the day before. cause of death: strangulation secondary to severe depression. please, sana wala ng sumunod.

good friday, we did the traditional 'libing' in our parish. i helped in dressing our image of maria cleofe, the bearer of holy water and incense used in the burial of our Lord.

today, black saturday, is the burial of my nephew. it was held in loyola memorial this morning





tomorrow, we'll do the 'salubong' in the early morn. i wish i'll have time to write the side stories before i leave again.




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